Has your business made their mobile presence known?

Mobile is fast becoming one of the most exciting and fastest growing industries around. BBC News has even reported that smartphone sales have exceeded feature phone sales for the first time in 2013. Mobile marketing should be now becoming central to business’ digital marketing strategy.

Despite the growing number of smartphone users, research by Econsultancy indicates that only 25% of brands have a mobile strategy in place. The event and festival industry is an example of early adopters to this strategy. Belfast last week began to welcome artists from around the world as the much anticipated Tennent’s Vital and Belsonic music festivals got under way.

We explore the mobile trends this industry is adopting, so how does this work for you?

Location, Location, Location.

A festival can be huge, with many stages, points of interests and landmarks, so a mobile site may have an interactive festival map, and using a phones GPS this would allow users to easily find event locations.

Another scenario could be if fans are in a particular concert tent or area, the mobile site picks up their location using a geofence; the user then receives more details on the band onstage or links to their albums. This technology can be adapted for retailers when someone enters their shop, the site would automatically send a special offer or even a discount code.

App Savvy

Recent research by eBay found that the mobile app market is booming, with 73,000 retail apps made available last year. There are two types of mobile app, a native app and web app. A native app is downloaded from either The App Store or Google Play to your device and can be accessed at any time. A web app is accessed using the browser on a device.

Native apps can be a good alternative if customers can’t access the web, and can offer a more in depth experience than a website, an example is enabling concert goers to gain entry using e-tickets available offline. Native apps generally suit all phones and can be optimised making them mobile search friendly. A vital tip is to not just take your website and put it on mobile. An app should complement your website or mobile website, not imitate them.

‘Social media isn’t the conversation, it’s where it takes place’ – Jay Baer

Facebook last week revealed that 78% of its US users are accessing on a daily basis using mobile phones. During a concert, organiser’s can post live updates such as images or stage times. In addition fans could rate artists and their performance in real-time, empowering fans to be viral ambassadors for your brand.

Social channels are a simple and free way for event organisers to measure engagement results and increases in fan and follower numbers. By building and engaging your audience with interesting posts and interactive campaigns, this will undoubtedly explode your social web reach!

When a consumer visits your webpage from a smartphone, you must to be there to meet them. A mobile version of your site is easy and cost-effective to build and can make all the difference to your bottom line. Combining this responsive design and great content will ensure you remain connected with potential customers.

If you’d like find out more on mobile marketing strategies and how they can be tailored to suit you, feel free get in touch.